“But,” he added, “I think it’s safe to say I won’t be wearing the brace.”

Midway through last season, Griffin began removing the brace during warm ups. But it was always affixed to his leg once the games began.

Throughout the campaign, opponents, analysts and even his own teammates speculated that the brace limited Griffin’s effectiveness. Indeed, he did not display the explosiveness he did as a rookie. But it was never clear how much of the decline was his still-recovering knee and how much of it was the brace.